AAP slams govt for ‘illegal’ development of paddy field at Paroda

16 Feb 201906:05am IST

16 Feb 201906:05am IST

Team Herald

MARGAO: Aam Aadmi Party referring to the illegal development of a paddy field at Mullem in Paroda village said the government has lost its sense of hearing and was in desperate need of hearing aid which it offered to provide so that the law of the land reigns in Goa.

Briefing media persons AAP Environment in charge Siddharth Karapurkar pointed out that the villagers of Paroda had complained to the Deputy Town Planner and the Deputy Collector South last year on February 2, 2018 about plots being developed in paddy field in Mullem.

“The Town and Country Planning Department instead of directing the police to take action in the matter, washed off its hands by writing to the village sarpanch on 1st March 2018 to take action in the matter,” said Sidhart.

He pointed out that the panchayat did not take any action in the matter because those developing the plots have political backing. Apparently the owners of the paddy fields are turning the fields into settlement areas to construct houses for either themselves or for sale.

The villagers have this year again raised up the matter through a letter to the Chief Town Planner on 21st January 2019 and with the Collector vide letter dated 31st January 2019 and yet no action is forthcoming from either of the agencies.

Sidhart said the perpetrators of the illegality are being shielded for the sole purpose of creating a vote bank as there will be a colony of hutments coming up in the field and decried the failure of the authorities to act against the illegality which would embolden people to repeat such crimes elsewhere.

He said the Anti Corruption unit should check this matter and name the people who are bribed to overlook the glaring illegality and threatened to move the court against the illegal development of a low lying paddy field that till recently was cultivated.